Museums and Music

Rider/Reviewers: Shawn LaBaugh & Angie Mork

Gunfights and saloon girls, hoodoos and Pahaska Tepee, Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel and Cassie’s Supper Club are all just a couple short hours and a breathtaking motorcycle ride from Billings, Montana, to Cody, Wyoming.  Of course, you can get to Cody from many other places, but our route had us leaving from Billings on the morning of July 25 and breezing down scenic highway 310.  Our first stop was the Old Trails Town and Museum of the Old West.  We were met at the front gate by Bob, a true western gentleman whose memory is filled with the history of the site.  He began by explaining that most of the buildings here were dismantled from their original locations and then reassembled here.  The site has roughly 100 horse-drawn vehicles and 26 buildings that date back as early as 1879.  As we walked down the boardwalk, we visited structures actually used by such characters as the Hole in Wall Gang, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Kid Curry.  At the  west end of the town, we found ourselves looking at the final resting places of Jeremiah Johnson, Jim White “Buffalo Hunter,” W.A. Gallagher, and Blind Bill.  I was a history major in college, and finding myself in this incredible place literally brought me to a standstill.     

At our next stop, we discovered Tecumseh’s Miniature Village, a tangible reconstruction of the historical events of Wyoming and Montana from the 1600s through the1800s—such as Custer’s Last Stand, the Oregon Trail, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. 

At 11:00 am we had a date with  Cody Trolley Tours for a historical tour of the town of Cody.  Leaving from the famous Irma Hotel (the hotel that Buffalo Bill built in 1902), we traveled to various sites with our guides, Mike and Margie.  Their many stories full of interesting and sometimes mysterious facts were centered around the impact that Buffalo Bill Cody had on this area.  One of the biggest remaining mysteries, however, . . . Is Buffalo Bill Cody really buried on Cedar Mountain?
 
The sheer energy and enthusiasm of Margie’s stories left us hungry and eager for lunch at La Comida, a place that serves both Mexican and American food.  Angie and I chose Mexican—tacos and enchiladas. They were delicious and the service was great.
After a short ride to see the Buffalo Bill Dam, we decided to find our motel room at the Holiday Inn.  We checked in, and shortly after we got to our room there was a knock on the door.  To our surprise, there stood a member of the hotel staff with a V.I.P basket!  What a treat!  We decided to kick our feet up for a few before heading to the gunfights.

The legendary Cody gunfighters include such characters as Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, Ike Clanton, Mad Dog Harry Tracy, Emmett Dalton, Lucky Bill, Doc Payne, Laddy Da, Crazy Cora, Miss Cassie, Fred White and Teton Jackson.  All these folks, and more, represent the real Wild West in nightly gunfights outside the Irma Hotel, and it is a must-see for anyone visiting the area.  When the bodies were removed from the streets, we were off to dinner at the Historic Irma Hotel.  Prime rib and all the fixin’s—both the service and the food were excellent.

After dinner we were guests for the Dan Miller Cowboy Music Revue.  This show included local musicians Dan Miller and his daughter, and his Empty Saddles Band.  Angie and I grew up listening to the old country music, and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Miller engages the audience, actually making them part of the performance, which makes the show exceptionally entertaining and another must-see if you have the chance.
 
Saturday morning started with a big breakfast at the Holiday Inn.  Angie ate one of everything on the menu—must be clean air and that fine western hospitality—and recommends it to anyone.  We were ready for the day.

Just 2 weeks earlier, we had ridden the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, so we decided this trip to ride up to Pahaska Tepee, Buffalo Bill's historic 1904 lodge nestled in the pines at the foot of majestic Cody Peak.   We were unable to get into the cabin, but we walked around, peered in the windows, and agreed that we will make a return trip to see the inside.  The scenic surroundings—high mountain rock formations, hoodoos, and the glistening North Fork of the Shoshone River—are stunning.  We decided to take our time returning to Cody and let the amazing landscape wrap around us as we drove.

Back in Cody after a great ride, we went to dinner at Cassie’s Supper Club which is on the west strip of Cody.  Cassie‘s is a supper and dancing club, and is one of the popular spots for locals.  Cassie’s has a great menu with everything from steaks to shrimp.  We can personally recommend the steaks—they are spectacular, and the service was excellent.  

We finished off the night by attending the Suzy Bogguss concert at the Cody Theatre, an old historical theater.  Angie and I both thought the concert was outstanding.  While Suzy played for 2 hours, she talked about her trip to Wyoming and joked with the crowd. She played many of her hits along with songs from her new album.  We both recommend taking in a concert in the theater. It puts the artist in a whole new light.

Sunday morning we went to the incredible Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  This facility has been referred to as the Smithsonian of the West.  The Center consists of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Draper Museum of Natural History, Cody Firearms Museum, Plains Indian, McCracken Research Library, and the Mustang Grill.  The center has so much to see, it is impossible to single out elements to share in this story.  All we can say is that the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is an experience you must not miss. 
     
After lunch, we headed for home.  Our Cody mini-vacation was an amazing long weekend, and we recommend it highly—but only if you really want to “escape” into an environment of genuine fun and relaxation, of western history and family entertainment, of dramatic landscapes and great meals.

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